Amusement apparatus



May 12, 1931. w. J. MAHONEY AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR WITNESSES T/VTJ Mafione 6"" fi BY ATTORNEYS ,May 12, 1931. w. J. MAHONEY 1,805,337

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 3, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 42 22 0 24 m k 3,332 g5 26 INVENTOR g (I Ma/oorce ATTORNEYS j Patented May 12, 1931 um snares 'WIIJJIAM J. MAHONEYQOF NEW YORK N. Y.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Application fiIedEebr-uary. 3, 1930: 7 Serial .No. 425,621;

This invention. relatesgenerally. to 1 the, class of amusement apparatus, and has particul-ar reference tot-a musical instrument ope 15: the various note (bars by meansqof taps or hammers suitably carried-by; thefeet.

Obviously, 1 if a single bar were used for each note, it WOllldOf necessity have. to be madezofsuch an extreme length in proportion 20' to a Width nwhich 1 would accommodate the feet oft the dancer, that they overall, areawould preclude the praotica'lr useofthe pl,at-.

form in theatrical Work,.duetothe difiiculties of transportation, and to the limited offistage 2 storage space in. thetheatres. :-,I-Ience,\t he pres ent invention aims .to provide-a musical dancingplatforni "in the nature of a xylophone in which each notewonsistsof threesimilar-note' bars arranged .in side by side relation and capable ofijointly oraseverally. emitting the. same ..tone when struck, ,Whereby- ,suflicientr foot space is affordedthe idancer without ren-,

dering the platform unduly bulky,

As. a ,furtherrobject the invention contone valuegof the bars,

A further feature of the inventionresides in the provisi on of rest portions interspersing paratusof the ,oharacterset forth a construe understood ;that the individual note fbarsof certain of thenote bars, to afford .restspaces' tion which ymay abe readily-r gall-(1v accurately: assembled ,and disassembled attheexpense of. a minimum of time and, l ab.0r.-.

As a still further object, thei-nvention includes in art-apparatus ofthen-character dew scribed- ;tilt v guard means which functions to prevent undue tilting or canting 0f the note bars in event'thedancer. aligh-ts on the -proj eeting; extremities of the note harsar With the above, recited and-oth-er-obj ectszin View, (reference is had; to the following! dew: scription" and accompanying-, drawings: in which there islexhibitedwoneiexample or'en'\-,.- bodiment ofthe invention hile; the claims: define the actualscopeof the samew,

In the drawings Figure-'1 is a plan; view-oftheplatform;

Figure: 2 ,is'] a side; View thereof;

Figure 3 isran end vView of tl1e=sa1ne;'

-Figure 4 isan enlargedfragrnentary ion-1 gitud-inal sectional; view therethrough taken approximately on {the line indicated rat-1 4-74 in Figure 1.

- Figure-6 .is; a transverse: sectional; wiewtherethm)ugh' taken approximately: onmthe line indicatedat155.' i Figure 6 -is-a perspective flew illustrating the foot =0f the dancer equipped with means; for strikingthewnotei barsw Referring to :thendrawings by; characters: of reference, the platform consists of a :plzur rality of rows ofnote; bars 10', preferably constructed ofhard Wood; and the note? bars are arra-nged in; gr oups,-or sets-which--aro graded as rto itheiralength sons to produce when struck a definite tone ,cval-uea As, illus trated, eaohigroum orset, contains :threemoi' .le bars, but, obviouslm-any desired nuinloermaybe iinclulded in; each; group or .set; it being one :group or set will produce when-z struck either: j ointlyr -,or severally -0nflgtOne; value.- Onerow, designated genenallyybyihe refer-1 ence 9 1am l5el -A 1jeppeseptSthe-M11018 tones;-

or full notes of the-[musicaL-Jscale; ,wh-ilethe 00 to retain the same against deflection. row of half tones or notes B is sub'divided between certain setsof groups, and these other row, designated generally by the reference character B, represents the half tones or notes. In practice, the note bars are supported or superimposed upon longitudinal pairs of beams 11 with ayieldable cushion 12 of felt padding or the like interposed between the upper surface of the beams and the under side of the note bars. Transverse beams 13connect each pair of longitudinal beams 11, and the longitudinal and transverse beams are supported by an angle iron frame 1 1. The note bars are held in side by side relation against displacement by means of longitudinally extending cables 15 which extend through apertures in the note bars 10, one end of the cables being formed with eyes 16 through which a transverse anchoring rod 17 is engaged. The'anchored ends are fixedly secured by a passage through apertures in an end rail 18 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the cross beams 13. The opposite ends of the cables are attached to eye bolts 19 which extend through an end rail 20 and which have threadedly engaged thereover a nut 21, by virtue of which the proper tension may be exerted on the cables. The majority of the note bars are spaced apart from each other by means of felt washers 22 or their equivalent, and the remaining note bars are spaced apart by screw hooks 28 which are lcoveredwith a rubber tubing 24% or its equivalent the SCl'BW l'lOOkS BD EL 'lIl OVBI illfi cables 7 a c: a

spaces have interposeditherein rest platforms 25 which are secured by screws or other fastening devices 26 to exterior laterally projecting rails 27 attached to the longitudinal,

beams llfland extending throughout he length of the beam and to a-c'enter rail 28.

The rails 27 and 28 are provided on their upper surfaces with yieldable pads or cushions 29, which pads or cushions have their upper surfaces spaced below the under faces of the note bars 10; The cushioned or padded rails 27 and 28 underlie the opposite ends or extremities of the note bars and function as tilt guards which only come intdplay in event the note bars are unduly tilted or canted.

A'r'esonator 30 is provided for each note bar andis of substantiallytubular formation having a closed lower end 31 and an'open upper end 32 which is disposed medially of each note bar directly below the concaved me dial portion 33 of the note bar. The resonators are graduated or vary in length p'roportionately with thegroups or sets of note bars,

and said resonators are suitablysupported in any desired'manner. 'As 1llustrated,the res onator supporting means consists of a pair of 35 or otherwise attached. The extremities 36 of the straps are bent into substantially inverted U-shape and are designed to engage over the end rails 18. Preferably, the straps dare divided intermediate their ends and removably secured together in overlapped relation by thumb nuts and bolts 37. This permits the resonators and their supporting means to be readily detached from the frame of the platform when packing the same for shipment.

The angle iron frame is supported by divergent end legs 38which are joined at their upper ends by a bight39 carrying lugs 40 which are designed to be attached to the angle iron frame 14 by thumb bolts 41 or the like. The divergent endlegs 38 are braced by angle iron angle braces 42 and cross angle iron braces 13'. The end legs 88 are further braced longitudinally by angle iron angle braces 44-, one terminal of each of which is detachably associated with the frame 14 by thumb bolts 45. The frame 14 is centrally braced by intermediate legs 46which are detachably associated with the frame by bolts 47, and said intermediate legs are further braced by angle iron angle braces 48 which are detachably connected. at one end with theframe 1 1 by bolts d9.

In use, the artist or dancer is equipped with, carries/or has attached to his shoes, taps "or hammers for the purpose of striking in succession the various note bars of the platform as he executes a dance thereon, to play a musical composition as an accompaniment for the dance. As illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings, the foot 0 of the dancer or. art

ist carries ahammer or striking device D,

the shank E of which is attached to an elastic band F, so that the head of the'hammer pro-- trudes beyond the foot and the shank extends angularlyacrossthe same. I

VJhat is claimed is: 1. A musical instrument to be played upon by the feet of a dancer while dancing thereupon, including a supporting structure, a

plurality of sets of tuned sounding bars carried by said supporting structure, the sounding bars of each set arranged n side by side relation and adapted to jointly or sevorally produce the same tone and theelements' of the different sets adapted to produce a different tone. I

2. A musical device including means for yieldably supportingin a common plane, a plurality of sound producing elements consisting of groups of note bars, the bars of each group arranged in side by side relation and having the same tone value and the groups having relatively different tone values and "said elementsmounted to support a dancer while dancing and playing on saidelements, said supporting means including guard means disposed out of said common plane for limiting'the tilting of said note bars.

23. In an amusement apparatus of the charactc set forth, a musical dancing platform inchiding longitudinally extending spaced beams having cushioned upper surfaces, a plurality of transversely disposed note bars supported thereon serving as a platform to support a dancer while dancing upon and playing a musical composition on said note bars and means spaced from and underlying the protruding ends of the note bars for limiting the tilting action of the same.

4. In an amusement device, the combination of a musical instrument including tone producing elements, means for supporting said elements whereby they may be directly danced upon by a dancer and means carried by the feet of the dancer, for striking said elements while dancing directly thereupon whereby to play a musical composition coincidcntwith the dance.

5. A musical amusement device including a plurality of sound producing elements, supporting means yieldably mounting said elements in a common plane to serve as a platform upon which a dancer is adapted to directly dance and play in unison a musical. composition, the ends of said elements extending beyond the supporting means and subterposed guard means disposed below said projecting ends of said elements for limiting the tilting of the same as and for the purpose specified.

6. A musical instrument to be played upon by the feet of a dancer comprising a supporting structure, a framework carried by said supporting structure and provided with horizontally disposed tuned sounding bars to support a dancer.

7. A musical instrument to be played upon by the feet of a dancer comprising a supporting structure, a framework carried by said supporting structure and provided with horizontally disposed tuned sounding bars to support a dancer and heater means carried by the feet of the dancer.

8. An amusement device including a continuous row of sound producing elements, an adjoining interrupted row of sound producing elements, supporting means upon which the rows are mounted to produce a dancing platform and minor platforms interspersed with the elements of said interrupted row to provide rest surfaces.

9. An amusement device including a plurality of sound producing elements, supporting means across which the elements are extended to produce a dancing platform, assembling means by which said elements are maintained in side by side relation and anchoring means by which said assembling means are attached to the support.

10. An amusement device including a plurality of sound producing elements, supporting means across which the elements are extended to produce a dancing platform, as-

sembling means by which said elements are maintained in side by side relation, anchoring means by which said assembling means are attached to the support, means for anchoring the extremities of the assembling means upon the supporting means and other means carried by the supporting means engaging the assemblin means to prevent deflection.

Signed at ew York in the county of New York and State of New York this 31st day of January A. D. 1930.

WVILLIAM J. MAHONEY. 

